Concerned residents respond to Cooksey's development

Many St. Augustine Beach residents oppose the idea of Ed Cooksey selling his campground -- a 117-acre rural tract of land near the city -- to a developer.

The developer is Joe Collins, principle of the Collins Group and potential buyer, and he hopes St. Augustine Beach will annex Cooksey's Camping Resort at 2795 State Road A1A. Collins wants to turn the site into a gated community with up to 355 homes and an upscale shopping center.

The city moved the issue forward this week when the St. Augustine Beach Comprehensive Planning and Zoning Board unanimously recommended approval of the project, though there were some reservations.

''If we make this mistake, we will have no opportunities to recover from it,'' said Robert Kahler, a resident with property bordering Cooksey's.

Instead of a development, the residents would rather see the land turned into a park.

''There are no neighborhood parks inside the confines of St. Augustine Beach, and that is disgraceful,'' said resident Patricia Gill.

Cooksey wanted to sell the land to St. Augustine Beach two years ago so the city could turn it into a park, but the city could not get enough grant money.

Cooksey also tried to sell to St. Johns County four years ago, but the outcome was the same.

Cooksey's son Mark said the residents could have had their park if the community had supported the grant bids.

''My father did everything he could to try to keep this a park, but the state of Florida recommended that this property be used for development,'' he said. ''My father has a great love for this community. He went to great lengths to find a developer to do something quality.''

Collins plans for about 90 acres of the property to be residential. The majority would be single-family houses, but there would be some two-story condominiums as well.

The remaining 25 acres would be commercial.

Ed Cooksey said it was time for him to sell and move on.

''I think it would be the best thing in the world for the people of St. Augustine Beach to take this into their community and have something nice,'' he said.

Many residents acknowledged that something eventually would happen to the property, and therefore supported the idea of the gated community, but not the commercial development.

Resident Lynn Eldridge asked: ''Do we need more upscale stores?''

The property is zoned commercial, which allows recreational vehicle parks, hotels, fast food restaurants and gas stations under the county code.

George McClure, attorney for Collins, said that while it is unlikely the entire 117 acres would be developed commercially, at least the beach would be able to regulate the property if it was annexed.

For this reason, the Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval. The board members wanted the city to have some control over the development.

However, the board members did not like the commercial aspect of the development, and their approval came with the stipulation that the commercial portion be less than 25 acres.

Collins said he usually stays away from commercial development, but given its location, some of the property has to be commercial for him to make any money.

The board's vote this week was far from binding.

The City Commission has to decide whether to transmit the annexation and rezoning request to the Florida Department of Community Affairs, and this is not scheduled to happen until May or June.

After the Department of Community Affairs looks at the issue, the city will have to hold public meetings. A final decision may not be made until November.